On Feb. 6, the Golden State Warriors were 10th in the Western Conference with a 25-26 record. Three weeks later, the Warriors (32-27) are the seventh seed in the West and ride a five-game winning streak after Thursday’s 121-115 win over the Orlando Magic.
Two key events have dramatically altered Golden State’s arc: the arrival of Jimmy Butler at the trade deadline from Miami and Steph Curry’s return to dominant play.
In Golden State’s past eight games, Curry has looked like his vintage MVP self. During this stretch, the guard has averaged 30.6 points, 5.4 assists and 4.1 rebounds and shot 42.7% from three-point range, per Basketball Reference.
These numbers are remarkably similar to Curry’s MVP season of 2015-16, when he led the Warriors to a 73-9 record. Golden State, which plays next at Philadelphia (20-38) on Saturday, won’t reach those heights this season, of course, but Curry’s return to form is notable.
“Since the trade, he’s been so dialed in,” Warriors forward Draymond Green said Thursday, per ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk. “He told you guys all you want to do is play with expectations, have some expectations, and meant that. I think you look at the body of work over the course of the years, obviously we know that’s true.”
The highlight of Curry’s resurgence was his virtuoso performance against the Magic on Thursday, when he scored 56 points and tied a career high with 12 three-pointers. It was a vintage Curry explosion — one in which even half-court shots seemed as easy as layups.
